Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-16
THE BRrTISHER ABROAD.

The BRTTISHER ABROAD.
HAVANA Cuba, April 3.-No creature has been
more widely caricatured, ridiculed and abused
Than the British tourist abroad For many years
the choicest shafts OF Partisan wit have been
aimed at him. and the pencils OF the clevereSt OF
cartoonistS OF all MISUNDERSTANDING his own
have accentuated his giartng incongruitieS and
1sults- All 10 no purpose. The British tourist is
to-day as weird, uncouth and mOnStrOuS q thing
probability, in the end The EngliShnan is, at
home, the most rigidly proper and correct of men;
abroad he's an iconOclaSt and q monument OF dis
courtesy, stubbornneSs and rudenesS.
ONE OF THEM.
The tendency to struggle against custom at
tacks the best OF them when they travel Imet a
capital traveller on the steamer coming down. and,
as We had previously come together in New York
we became very well acquainted He was an Eng
H5Aman- but. though he had title and single
glass, he Was quite devoid Of the usual Obtrusiye
CHARACTERISTICS That go with such luXurfes. He
wore yachting clothes coming down. A Cuban
merchant who was on the steamer asked US 10 go
u The opera with hiIn the night OF our arrival.
We dined together at the hotel, the Cuban went
upstairs for the ladies OF his family who had not
appeared at dinner and my English friend excused
himself 10 'chaDge his toys He knew that we
were going 10 the third largest theater in the
world 10 hear good company sing Faust" TO an
audience that would probably include the best so
About O'Clock wandered down the big mar
bic stairway and found the Cuban family Ioinng
about In the rocking chairs that seem indigenous
u the island IL Was very warm. The ladies
were IN full toilet and the men OF course In even.
Ing dress We waited nearly half an hour and
then l saw the clerk glance up the stairway,
start back and nudge the proprietor. Both OF
them raised their eyebrows and shoulders eX-
$500 oI i III ir neA sep aoIioWed tne
per1ence should have taught me 10 look for but
which nevertheless gave me shock OF disagree
able surprise The EngliShman was descending
the stairs with a look OF inenable complacency
clad In
THE MOST ABSURD ToGGERY
IN the world. ON his head was q huge green clotf
helmet that would have looked big on the head O
an elephant Around IL was wrapped about two
yards Of heavy blue mosquito netting which
tell IL two irregular stTeamers down Tn.
barOnetS noble back / have neglected 10 saJ
that he was a fat, pudgy-faced little man
with a very percepube 1'buIge" in front He wor,
a long shooting blouse Of yellow and brown check!
Inches square. II was the most gaudy and con
spicuous pattern Imaginable. over his shouIdel
YES swung, by russell leather strap, an fmmens.
pair Of held glasses III case tatCOOed with The
y1nsrS lame and coat OF arms in silver Tn,
trousers app6rtaining TO the blouse were OF whit.
duck and about inches too short. This gave Ia,
eye reached a pair Of alligator walking shoes. o
course the tourist carried an umbrella and dog
skin glOyes-both are essentially useful on
beautiful Star-Ut evening In The tropics.
A COLOSSAL GUY.
never saw more perfect breeding than that dis
played by the Cubans OF our party. The ladie
knew perfectly wen that they had a colossal gu,
On their hands but they were as cordial an,
svael-Uemuerei as 50 many angels. IL chances
that the sensation Of the hour and myself climbed
into the same hack. He surveyed himself happil,
through his glass till he came 70 his legs. TheI
nc said;
..Rawthsr short, these trousers, eh?"
1.hsther Hadn't you pair OF purple Logging.
OF some opera boufe boots 10 top on WITH"
aIOh, It's no use quiZzing, you know, for It's per
feetly evident that you're in the dumps becaus.
you haven't similar OUTFIT yourself Come, now
what do you think OF the whole thing7"
told him how vel thought he would look fl
the 1ungles OF Africa or In one OF Onenbachs ope
Fas DuI ais serenity ~ as complete, and he said:
al Is, SURF, quite correct Tor IL Is general,
feSarCsd as one OF W1ltonS happieSt cCmbina
s10nS-"
Wilton is, believe, regarded at the moment a
being 9 shade more fashionable among LOndol
talIors than Poole
AT HOME AND ABROAD.
BE sat In the front OF the box, the observed o
sll observers, leyeng his big glasses at the ladie
Al the great theater as though they were mile
away. Mephistopheles On the stage scowled OF
him. for he felt that his scarlet toggery was no
where compared 10 the British tourists attire.
london the Englishman forcinly prevents peopi
from Attending his opera unless they are In even
Ing dress. But anything Will do when ne L
abroad. When the Duke OF Sutherland went
Miss BigelOw's wedding breakfast In New L orr
ae wore 4 shooting coat and Devastating boots
Imagine, IL you can, an Englishman doing such
thing al hOIGe-or, more impressive still. fancy
he fate OF the luckleSS American X he carried
Into London the customs, manners and attire ina
the British tourist exploits when he travels
abroad BLAKKLY HALL